Aspiring to change the world; one pound cake at a time

Friday Food Find: Matcha Matcha!

There are lots of things that you can use matcha in–lattes, smoothies, Popsicles, salads, soups, curries, and of course, tea. In my mind it is similar to ground flax; in that you can add it to a lot of your current recipes for an added nutritional boost. But sometimes, it is also good in something a little more decedent. And that’s where today’s recipe begins…Matcha Drops. More…

There are lots of things that you can use matcha in–lattes, smoothies, Popsicles, salads, soups, curries, and of course, tea. In my mind, it is similar to ground flax; in that you can add it to a lot of your current recipes for an added nutritional boost.

But sometimes, matcha is also good in something a little more decadent and it has nothing to do with its nutritional benefits. That’s where today’s recipe begins…Matcha Drops.

Recently, I decided that I was going to send my daughter, who is going to college in Portland, a package each month that was inspired by something in Food & Wine magazine. It would include some product that was touted, something made with that product, and of course the magazine. Having finished reading February’s issue and receiving my matcha in the mail via Amazon, it was time to make my inspired treat so I could package it all up and send to her. I chose matcha for several reasons, but the most important one being that my daughter likes green tea. And I chose cookies as they ship well and it seemed like a fun first package–hopefully making her excited for next month’s!

STEP ONE
Wisk the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Combine wet ingredients in another medium mixing bowl. Stir matcha and water together to create a paste. You might notice a pungent grassy aroma from the matcha. Don’t worry, it mellows upon baking. Add to wet ingredients. Then combine wet and dry bowls until just combined.

STEP TWO
Using a small ice cream style scoop, spoon dough onto cookie sheets with 2″ in between. Refrigerate for approximately 30 minutes. Depending on the scoop size, you may have to do this in batches. I ended up with 36 cookies, so I made three sheets. This is also a good time to preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

STEP THREE
Bake cookies for approximately 12 minutes or when the bottoms are slightly golden. Let cool on sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to cooling racks. Dust, dip, or decorate as you see fit.

In the end, I dusted some, dipped some, and decorated a few. As for the taste…quite unexpected. I had tried the dough, as I always do, and was left with an herbal, yet dusty, aftertaste. It was not unpleasant, just different. But once cooked, the earthiness had all but gone away and what was left was a bright, sweet, grassiness that was rather addicting. Each drop was tender and moist, but not fragile.

I have high hopes for these little cakes’ ability to travel, so once cooled, they will be packaged and sent off to Portland. But until they are sealed up, I have no doubt that I will be nibbling on them. I’m hooked!